Shipping and display container



Sept 25, 1962 J. HEPP 3,055,494

SHIPPING AND DISPLAY CONTAINER Filed March 31, 1960 INVENTOR JAMES HEPP33 4o 22hr. 41 32 51a W W 42 1: 42 ATTORNEY.

United States Patent Ofiice 3,055,494 Patented Sept. 25, 1962 3,055,494SHIPPING AND DISPLAY CONTAINER James Hepp, Glen Cove, NY, assignor toEd-U-Cards Mfg. Co. Filed Mar. 31, 1960, Ser. No. 18,915

6 Claims. (Cl. 206-4519) This invention relates to a shipping anddisplay container, more particularly a container formed of sheetmaterial such as paperboard or the like, and an article holding insertdesigned to align, retain and support a plurality of piles of stackedarticles in a readily removable secure position implementing shipment,display, and subsequent use of the article.

A variety of different types of merchandise requires packaging whichimplements the shipment of the merchandise, and display thereof at thepoint of sale. Additionally, it is often desirable to provide packagingwhich may be utilized by the consumer to retain the purchased articlesduring periods of non-use. The need for such packaging containers arisesin connection with many different types of merchandise. Thus in thedistribution of decks of playing cards, it is desirable to be able toship the deck of cards with the cards maintained in stacked alignment,and not subject to damage. Additionally, it is sometimes found desirableto package several decks of cards in a single container. Where severaldecks of cards are arranged in a single container, it is necessary tomaintain the decks in separated alignment. Any container provided shouldserve to protect the deck of cards or like articles during shipment, andshould additionally permit display of the cards at the point of sale.After purchase by the consumer, it is desirable that the container serveto provide storage for the articles.

It is with the above problems and desiderata in mind, that the presentmeans have been evolved, means including both method and apparatus forimplementing the shipment, display, and subsequent use of an article.The novel means are particularly adapted for use in connection withgroups of stacked articles such as playing cards and facilitate thepositioning of the articles in a container in a retained, aligned, andsupported condition; subject to ready display at the point of sale; andreplaceable removal from the container by the user so that the containermay be utilized for storage purposes.

It is accordingly a primary object of this invention to provide animproved shipping and display container.

Another object of this invention is to provide means implementing theutility of a container for shipping, display and storage of a group ofstacked articles.

It is also an object of this invention to provide retaining means in acontainer serving to retain a group of stacked articles therein.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for aligning agroup of stacked articles in a container.

It is also an object of the invention to provide means for cushionedlysupporting an article in a container.

A further object of the invention is to provide a container in which aplurality of articles may be maintained in a spaced orientation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a container in whicharticles are maintained in a condition implementing their display at thepoint of sale.

A further object of the invention is to provide a container serving thethreefold function of implementing shipment of articles containedtherein; implementing display at the point of sale; and implementingstorage of the article by the consumer.

These and other objects of the invention which will become hereafterapparent are achieved by provision of an insert for a conventionalbox-like container. The container employed as here described is of aconventional rectangular paperboard type in which a lower container isprovided with a cover member within which the container nests. It willhowever be apparent to those skilled in the art that the inventiveconcept may be embodied in a variety of other type containers formed ofa variety of different materials. The novel insert is formed from asingle blank of sheet material with a supporting surface upon which thearticles to be packaged are retained. This supporting surface isarranged at a spaced distance from the bottom of the container anddesigned to lie on a plane spaced from the container cover. Elevatinglegs or supports are employed to maintain the supporting surfaceelevated from the bottom of the container. Arranged along the front edgeof the supporting surface at a spaced distance thereabove, a retaininglip is provided beneath which one edge of the packaged articles isengaged to retain the packaged articles in position on the supportingsurface. At the edge of the supporting surface opposite to that on whichthe retaining lip is provided, aligning members are arranged to maintainthe packaged articles aligned on the surface. The aligning members areknee shaped with a horizontally extending ledge or thigh portion and avertically extending leg portion.

As will become apparent, the invention finds applicability particularlyin connection with the packaging of merchandise such as decks of cardswhere it is necessary to maintain a plurality of articles in cushionedalignment. The novel structure here employed may be utilized toimplement the shipment, display and subsequent storage of a plurality ofdecks of cards in cushioned isolation; readily subject to display at thepoint of sale; and subject to removal and re-insertion in the containerby the user.

A primary feature of the invention resides in the provision of acontainer insert readily subject to being formed of a single blank ofmaterial, with the novel insert having a retaining element, a supportingelement, and an aligning element, all formed from a unitary sheet.

Another important feature of the invention resides in the fact that bythe use of a relatively simple container insert, a plurality of groupsof stacked articles may be maintained in spaced cushioned alignmentwithin the container so as to implement the shipment, display andstorage of the articles.

The specific details of a preferred structural embodiment of theinvention and their mode of functioning will be made most manifest andparticularly pointed out in clear, concise, and exact terms, inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 represents a perspective view of an open container having thenovel insert position therein; and

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the blank utilized for forming the insert seenin FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on line 33 of FIG. 1 through agroup of packaged articles such as a deck of cards shown in phantom toindicate how the articles are maintained in the container; and

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, like numerals in thevarious figures will be employed to designate like parts.

As best seen in FIG. 1, the novel container 10 is formed of aconventional rectangular configuration. The container 110 has a bottomwall 1 1 as seen in FIGS. '3 and 4, end walls 12 and 13, a rear wall 14and a front wall 15. The container 10 here shown is of the type designedfor use in connection with a cover of a similar configuration withinwhich the container is designed to nest. It will be apparent howeverthat a variety of other types of containers may be utilized within thescope of this invention. Arranged within container 10, an insert 20 asbest seen in FIG. 2 is positioned. Insert 20 is formed of a blank ofsheet material such as paperboard, sheet plastic, or the like. Theinsert 20 is formed with score lines which cut through the body of theblank from the top to the bottom surface and are indicated by solid linein FIG. 2. Fold lines are shown by dash lines in FIG. 2.

The insert 20 is formed with a supporting surface 21 including aplurality of supporting areas 21a, 21b, 21c and 21d here shown as of asubstantially rectangular configuration. Connecting portions 22ab, 22190and 220d are formed between each of the supporting areas as viewed inFIG. 2.

A retaining lip 25 is provided which in the formed blank will bepositioned over the front edge of the supporting surface 21. It will beobserved from the applied numeration in FIG. 2, that the front edge ofsupporting surface 21 is shown at the upper part of the figure.Retaining lip support struts 26 are provided to support the retaininglips 25 at a spaced distance above supporting surface 21.

Knee shaped aligning members 29 are provided on the rear edge of theblank (the bottom in FIG. 2). These aligning members 29 comprise anupper horizontally extending aligning spacer or ledge 30 joined by analigning leg 31 to connecting portions 22 of supporting surface 21.

A rear elevating support 32 and a front elevating support 33 are formedin the blank to elevatedly support the supporting surface at a spaceddistance above the bottom 11 of the container 10. End supporting flaps35 are provided to rigidify the insert within the container.

To further provide rigidity to the formed insert 20 in container 10, achannel shaped false bottom 40 having an upper support area 41 and legs42 may be employed as seen in FIGS. 3 and 4.

Operation The aforedisclosed structure may be utilized to implement theshipping, display, and subsequent storage of a variety of differenttypes of articles in a container. As here disclosed, the invention hasbeen embodied in a box insert for a container utilized in connectionwith decks of playing cards.

In use, a blank having a longitudinal length substantially equal to thatof the container in connection with which it is to be employed, isformed in the configuration illustrated in FIG. 2. This blank 20 is thenfolded along the fold lines illustrated by dash lines into theconfiguration shown in FIG. 1. It will be apparent that the elevatingsupports 32, 33 and 35 are folded down from the plane of the blank whilesupport struts 26 and aligning legs 31 are folded up out of the blank ofthe material.

Depending on the rigidity of the sheet material from which the blank isformed, a false bottom may or may not be used. Clearly if the blank hassufficient rigidity the use of a false bottom is not necessary. On theother hand, it is generally found more economical to utilize a falsebottom, thus permitting the use of thinner stock for the formation ofthe insert, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. Where the false bottom 40is utilized, it is generally folded from a blank into its channel shapeand inserted into container 10, after which the folded insert blank 20is positioned with elevating supports 32 and 33 sandwiched between legs42 of the false bottom and the front and rear walls of the container 10.

In this assembled relationship, the container is ready for the receiptof merchandise, which in this case has been described as decks of cards.The decks of cards are then arranged in the container by inserting oneend of the deck beneath retaining lip 25 and permitting the rest of thedeck to lie on the supporting surface with alignment of the cards of thedeck being accomplished by their positioning between aligning members29.

It will thus be seen that a novel box insert has been provided which mayreadily be formed from a single blank of sheet material in which aplurality of articles, such as cards in a deck of playing cards, may bealigned, and retained upon a supporting surface in isolated conditionimplementing the shipment, display, and subsequent storage of thepackaged articles.

The above disclosure has been given by way of illustration andelucidation, and not by Way of'limitation, and it is desired to protectall embodiments of the herein disclosed inventive concept within thescope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A blank for forming an article holding box insert, said blankcomprising: a central supporting surface for the articles; elevatingsupports formed by two areas spaced from said central surface and lyingalong opposite edges of said blank; a retaining lip formed along one ofsaid elevating supports lying between and coupled to said supportingsurface and one of said elevating supports, and adapted to lie in aplane above said supporting surface overlying the articles; and aligningmembers extending from the other of said elevating supports andseparated from said elevating supports by a fold line whereby saidaligning members will lie above the level of said supporting surfacewhen said insert is assembled within the box.

2. A blank as in claim 1 having two support flaps extending from saidcentral area and lying along opposite ends of said blank.

3. A blank for forming an article holding box insert,

said blank comprising: a central supporting surface for the articles;elevating supports formed on the front and rear edges respectively ofsaid central surface; a retaining lip formed along and extending fromthe front elevating support, and adapted to lie in a plane above theplane of said supporting surface; and a pair of spaced aligning membersextending from the other of said elevating supports and separatedtherefrom by a fold line whereby said aligning member will lie above thelevel of said supporting surface when said insert is assembled withinthe box.

4. In a shipping and display container comprising a bottom wall, a rearwall, front wall, and end walls, an article holding insert within saidcontainer, said insert formed from a single blank of sheet materialcomprising: a rear elevating support formed along one edge of saidinsert of a height equal to the height of a rear wall of said box; aplurality of spaced aligning members formed by an upper aligning ledgeextending forwardly from said rear elevating support wall, and adownwardly extending leg coupled to said upper aligning ledge; asupporting surface extending medially through said box at a spaceddistance above the bottom wall thereof, said supporting surface beingsecured to said downwardly extending aligning leg; a retaining lipformed to extend at a spaced distance above said supporting surface;support struts between said retaining lip and said supporting surface;and a downwardly extending front elevating support extending from saidretaining lip to the bottom of said box.

5. In a container as in claim 4, an insert in which said retaining lipis of a length equal to the length of the interior of the container.

6. In a container as in claim 4, a channel shaped false bottom having anupper support area; and legs, with said false bottom arranged with itssupport area overlying said insert supporting surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,339,176 Lee Jan. 11, 1944 2,425,895 Overly Aug. 19, 1947 2,511,542 RauJune 13, 1950' 2,652,921 Foster Sept. 22, 1953 2,706,590 Bergstein Apr.19, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 907,533 France July 2, 1945

